THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is urging Guyanese to use the metric system during interaction with visitors who will be here for the upcoming leg of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) tournament.

The bureau said Guyanese, especially those stakeholders who will interact closely with the large influx of visitors from countries where the metric system is in use, should equip themselves with a thorough knowledge of the system, as an integral part of the preparation process as the commencement of the CWC event in Guyana nears.

“Stakeholders, such as members of the Local Organising Committee, volunteers who will serve in various capacities, staff of hotels, tour operators, taxi drivers, and all categories of persons in the transportation sector and especially the vendors and retailers, need to use the metric system, as most of our visitors coming from countries such as India and Australia, may have long forgotten about pounds and ounces and gallons and pints,” the GNBS said.

Since the metric system was adopted as the official and legal system of measurement in Guyana on January 1, 2002, GNBS said visitors will expect that Guyanese will have a working knowledge of the metric system and can use it to conduct routine activities.

GNBS, the agency responsible for spearheading the national metrification campaign, said it sees this approach as essential to avoid confusion and to facilitate easy communication.

The bureau said tour guides, for example, should be able to give the area of Guyana, the distance from Timehri to Georgetown and the height of St George’s Cathedral or the Kaieteur Falls, using metric units.

It said, too, that vendors and retailers should go metric when weighing and measuring goods for sale without having to convert.

Presently, both systems are in use, and GNBS said persons are in the habit of converting from one system to another. It said this practice, if allowed to continue, will only serve to confuse users.

The bureau has advised that only the metric system should be used and said it stands ready to help in the form of training and issuing information.

It said contact can be made with the bureau via telephone on 225-6226, 227-7890 or 227-7889. The bureau said it has also posted some useful metric conversions on its website at www.gnbs.info.